Backwater Planet
by CortessaBlatt
Summary: KOTOR, Light side female Revan When the crew gets stuck on a planet in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing really left to do but talk and solve old problems. . – More chapters to come
1. Crash Bang Boom

**Backwater Planet**

_KOTOR, Light side female Revan - When the crew gets stuck on a planet in the middle of nowhere, there's nothing really left to do but talk and solve out old problems. Featuring a narcissistic Canderous, an unstable Juhani, a grumpy Bastila, an overly-defensive HK-47, and more. – More chapters to come _

**Rated PG13 **– Violence and swearing, for now, but more to come...

**Disclaimer: **Could a fourteen-year-old own a company older than her mother?

**Backwater Planet**

All was quiet aboard the Ebon Hawk. Not a single insect stirred between the panels, and not even the engine dared make a single squeak. The ship just drifted along, slowly but surely gliding through the hyperspace route. The entire place was in pitch darkness, except for the faint glow from T3's light. T3 was on alert, for, although a human or an animal may not have heard it, he sensed a definite movement to his right. The little light flickered. He was on auxiliary power, and that soon would run out. He only had enough time to run a check. Picking up no extra life forms, he turned himself off to restore his power cell.

The only sentient awake on the ship was Carth Onasi himself: the driver for the Ebon Hawk, and an excellent shot with a blaster pistol to boot. He was silently staring at the wall, his hair, for once, an utter mess, falling in his red-rimed, sunken eyes. He had not slept at all that night, though he had tried, and the cold had been biting at his exposed body for hours. Jolee and Canderous were snoring contentedly on either side of him, but proved to be no distraction. The pistol he held let out the faintest click, and he saw T3's minuscule beam flash in his direction. He stared back silently, and the light eventually clicked off.

There was nothing. That's what he hated about space. It reminded him of all the hate in the world, piled up into a single, hateful black abyss, broken up only occasionally by tiny fractions of light.

Quite suddenly, there was a violent impact to the right. The entire bunker was thrown sideways and Carth himself was tossed roughly into the wall. His pistol hit the floor with a clatter, and Canderous seemed to have hit something, for he began swearing profusely.

Carth jumped to his feet, scooping down to grab his pistol before he sprinted for the controls. The ship was at a slant, so he had to struggle upwards, slipping over smooth metal floors before he reached the top. He sat down at his seat and began working to right the ship.

A chilling sound reached his ears. The distinct scraping of metal being ripped in two. There was another jarring explosion and the ship began to plummet. Carth flipped on the comm..

"Crash landing T minus forty-eight seconds!" he barked. "Defensive positions! Make sure nothing's going to land on you! This is gonna be rough!" He grabbed a rubber tube from the dash and slipped it between his teeth. It was better to crash and look like a moron than to crash and bite his own tongue off.

Carth gave the shift a firm jerk to the left, steering them towards the nearest planet. They weren't going to make it if he didn't hurry. He gave turned the engines full-throttle and guided her as best he could as they made their way. The ship began to rattle once it entered the atmosphere. T3-M4 could be heard frantically squealing as he was shaken out of his port.

Carth let out a yell and covered his head within the last five seconds of the crash. He knew immediately that they had dove nose-first into a shallow lake. He could recall vaguely the water pouring through the windows, and he could recall Revan's unyielding scream in the background. But beyond that, his memory was blank. A shift stick through the head can do that.

------

Carth woke sometime later, soaked to the bone. He felt queasy and tired and wasted no time rolling over to vomit.

T3-M4 let out an annoyed blat and backed up a few inches. Carth stared up at the droid blearily before he smiled. "So I guess we lived," he rasped. His head felt like it had been sat on by something very large.

Mission limped up to him. Though she looked pale and shaken and her pants were stained red with blood, she looked to be alright. She offered him a rueful smile, holding out a hand to shake. He had never seen her with her gloves off. Her hands were clammy to the touch.

"Glad to see you awake," Mission offered. "We were worried we might lose you."

"Is everyone else alright?" Carth asked, getting up and wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

Mission bit her lip. "No," she said softly. "HK's blown a circuit, Canderous nearly lost a leg, and Revan…" She trailed off, looking upset. "Look, Jolee, Juhani, and Bastila did all they could…" she offered, but Carth was already looking around for Revan. She stared up at him for a moment before she touched his arm. "Carth…"

"Where is she?" he said sharply, his eyes snapping to Mission's face.

She blanched, and her headtails seemed to droop. "O-Over there," she said weakly, pointing. Revan lay not far off, propped against a tree while Jolee sent Force healing waves through her.

Carth took off without another word and had to restrain himself from pushing Jolee aside. "Is she alright?" he asked, sinking to his knees at her side.

"Calm down, boy," Jolee grumbled. "You'll wake her."

"Is she alright?" Carth repeated urgently.

Jolee was silent for a moment, but then he spoke again slowly, grimly. "No."

"What's wrong with her?" Carth felt sick all of the sudden. He looked Revan over carefully, wishing he could do something, but he felt useless.

"She was split wide open in the crash," Jolee murmured. He avoided Carth's hurt gaze. "I thought you could hear her screaming. I certainly could. Not the best thing to wake up to, mind. There was blood everywhere and she was real lucky her guts weren't…" He trailed off. Perhaps this wasn't the best violent situation to discuss.

Carth was shaking. He buried his face in his hands, taking deep, calming breaths. This was all his fault. If he had just been more careful… more alert… if he had guided better and been more prepared… this wouldn't have happened. The thought made him angry. By God, if she died, he would jump into the nearest ocean with weights tied to his legs. Jolee seemed to sense this and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll make her get through this alright," the old man promised. "She's not going to give out on us just yet."

Carth was not reassured.

Bastila returned. "Let me take over, Jolee," she said, nudging him aside. She gave Carth a look, a warning, before she unbuttoned Revan's top. She rested her fingertips on the wounded areas and breathed deep, closing her eyes. Carth watched, his eyes fixed on Bastila's hands. He would not allow himself to look closely at anything else.

Well, maybe once or twice.

Revan's skin seemed to gain some color, but she looked no better off. She'd have enormous scars across her middle for the rest of her life. And it was all Carth's fault.

Finally Bastila stopped and gave to Juhani, who gently began healing. The huge gashes that had been apparent were slowly fading away into scars, and when they finally did go away, they kept healing to restore her blood and cure the germs.

"When she wakes she will be confused and drowsy, and most likely sick," Bastila told Carth. "You must do your best not to hurt her or confuse her more. Explain everything and for the Order's sake do not squash her. The skin is very thin where she was cut and I don't want it to split open again. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Carth murmured solemnly.

"It is not your fault, Carth. You did all you could do."

"Do you really believe that?" Carth murmured, looking back up at her.

"Do _you_ believe it?" Bastila countered gently.

Carth bowed his head. The sides of his mouth twitched in a timid smile. "No," he said quietly, fixing his eyes on his hands.

"I cannot help you, then," Bastila said, getting to her feet and wandering off to help Canderous, who had previously bawled like a baby because of his wound. It was a good cut, going down to the bone, but his leg was not going to fall off. Not any time soon, anyway.

Jolee slapped Bastila away and began working on Canderous. Having the most medical experience, Jolee knew how to deal with it, and he knew that Bastila needed her energy to help with Revan. Besides, Canderous refused to let any girls near his legs, for some… _strange _reason, one way or another.

HK-47 was offline, being tended to by Zaalbar and T3-M4. Something had lodged quite frustratingly right in his power core, and the slightest mistake could permanently damage the droid. Not only that, some circuit had snapped in the neural area, which rendered HK-47 unable to recognize living and non-living.

There was a spark and a frightening squeal as the droid bucked. Zaalbar roared with alarm and T3-M4 began screaming wildly. A flame spurt from HK-47's chest, and then he lay still. Grumbling and growling quietly to himself, Zaalbar resumed his work.

Carth remained unmoving, sitting dutifully at Revan's side, his eyes never leaving her face. Juhani strode past.

"She will not come to for some time, you know," she growled quietly.

"I know," Carth said stiffly.

"Do you need to talk?"

"No."

Juhani bit her lip reluctantly and walked off. Jolee was shouting at Canderous for some reason or another, and the Mandalorian could only reply in pained grunts and angry swears. The two seemed rather exasperated and upset.

"If you'd just hold still and let me work…"

"It _hurts_, old man. I'd like to see how well you sit still when someone's jamming their fingers into your leg."

"Was that a threat?"

Canderous chuckled weakly and gave a weak grunt. "Maybe."

"Don't think that just because you're young you can beat me."

"I'm not young, old man."

It was Jolee's turn to laugh. "I suppose that's true, but you're hell of a lot younger than me, sonny."

"Don't call me sonny."

"I can call you whatever I damn well please while I'm saving your leg, sonny. Now sit still and do as I say."

Canderous's face contorted with anger and disgust, but he remained still.

Mission giggled at them, earning a stern glare from Bastila, but it had been ages since Mission had listened to and had respect for Bastila, and now wasn't any different. However, once Mission was done giggling, she approached Carth. "How're you feeling, gramps?" she asked, smiling meekly, her hands clasped behind her back.

"I'm fine," Carth murmured, looking back to Revan, who lay still and pale.

"She'll get better. Jolee and Juhani will see to it. I think the old man considers her to be his adopted daughter."

Carth actually smiled. "I guess that will help some," he said softly.

"You need to come look at the damage on the ship. Won't matter if Revan lives or not if we can't even get off this rock."

"Do you know what planet we're on?" Carth asked, getting to his feet and following Mission to the half-submerged Ebon Hawk.

"No," Mission admitted. "The map was jammed and it didn't tell us much even when Zaalbar messed with it. All it said was this place was settled once by some wild tribes that seem to have died out, and once it was invaded by a small Czerka Corp. crew, and they made a very small settlement somewhere. There isn't much here… just jungle and grassland. I'm sorry I can't be of more help, you know?"

"That's actually quite a bit," Carth said. Perhaps Czerka presence meant he could find some civilization, but that seemed unlikely, since this place was so large and dense. "Great job, Mission. You'll turn out well after all."

Mission bit her lip. "Zaalbar says there's a major wing problem. He spoke a whole bunch of repair jibber-jabber so I didn't catch much. We'll be alright, won't we?"

"That remains to be seen," Carth replied, climbing onto the wing. His arm screamed with protest and a fire shot through his shoulder and across his spine, but he ignored it. He'd been in worse spots. His head spun with pain but he ignored that too as he checked for damage.

There was a great hole in the wing from a fair shot, but there was an even bigger rip that had stripped half of the wing from its coating, leaving the naked wires exposed to the world. They weren't getting off of this planet for some time.

------

**Author's Notes: **Well… now you know why I haven't updated The Leviathan or The Aftermath yet. I've been working on this, another oneshot, schoolwork, and both previously-mentioned fics. Don't worry – I'll get things sorted out in time. Any and all comments are appreciated. Please, 'kay, and thank you. c",)


	2. A Fine Mess Indeed

**Backwater Planet**

_Revan comes to and all hell breaks loose._

**Rated PG13**

**Disclaimer: **I do not have a beard, therefore I am not George Lucas.

**Backwater Planet**

Carth jumped back down and headed over to Canderous, who stared up at him coldly while Jolee stuck his fingers inside the gaping wound on the Mandalorian's leg. The younger of the two winced and snarled with pain, but Carth ignored them both.

"What supplies do we have?" he asked, wiping his dirty, bloody, wet hands on his pants.

"Absolutely none," Canderous replied. "We have enough food for a week, a couple thousand credits, a medpack or two, and one adrenal stimulant. Beyond that, I guess we have the clothes on our backs and our weapons."

Zaalbar roared quietly, carrying HK-47's limp body structure. "We need to take him to a professional repairsentient," the Wookiee told Carth. "His power core has been completely broken. He cannot be repaired by my hands."

T3-M4 blatted miserably. HK-47 had been something short of a friend. Carth sympathetically patted the droid on the head, and with an annoyed squeal, T3 drove off.

"We will need to set up camp," Bastila told Carth then. Apparently he had become something of a leader while Revan was out. "We will not be able to get off of this planet unless we are well-rested and able to make the trip to the settlement here."

Carth nodded. "Alright. Get Revan bundled up and I need someone to stay with her tonight. Juhani."

"Yes?"

"Get some firewood."

"Of course."

"Jolee."

Jolee looked up, flicking a bloody hand in Carth's direction. "What?"

Carth blanched. "Never mind. Just… continue with what you were doing…"

Jolee rolled his eyes and turned back to Canderous, who was snarling with discontent.

Carth turned to Mission.

"What can I do for you?" she said immediately, seeming eager to help. She had grown much over the past couple of years. She was leaner, taller, and fuller, and more beautiful than he could have imagined. She had actually become more mature and stood there with her face set. She was a woman now, and not a child.

"Can you scope out the area? Let us know if you find anything of interest?"

Mission nodded and started into the forest without hesitation.

Carth looked to Zaalbar. "You… you help me get some shelter going."

"Can we not sleep in the Ebon Hawk?" Zaalbar asked.

"I'm not sure how stable the Ebon Hawk is," Carth told Zaalbar. "I don't want to risk something falling on us or having us drown or worse. It will be better if we sleep out of the ship."

"As you wish."

In no time, they had built a fair shelter for the night. Juhani and Mission took turns feeding the fire and Jolee had almost completely knitted Canderous's leg by the time the sun set.

"In the morning we'll find the settlement," Carth said. "Until then… we wait."

"Wait for what?" Mission asked.

"Revan."

There was nothing more to say. Quietly, Mission ripped a chunk from her Durabar.

------

"You know what? I hate these things," Mission said, studying the Durabar in her hand. "They taste like gizka fodder, only wetter and older." She stuck out her tongue. Durabars were made to last for long periods of time and still be edible. They were only thick slabs of proteins and artificial taste and weren't worth much at all. And they did indeed taste like gizka fodder.

"Then don't eat it," Zaalbar said. "Why waste food when we only have a limited supply?"

Mission gave Zaalbar a defiant look, deliberately ripping off a bite of her Durabar. Durabars were tough and stuck together, so it felt like eating a very large, moist piece of jerky… only it didn't taste as good.

Carth sighed, prodding the fire, which had long burnt out. It was late into the next day now, and their supplies were running alarmingly thin. If Revan didn't wake up soon, they'd have to leave her with someone, or take her with them to the settlement. Neither option seemed tasteful at the moment.

Bastila slept soundly against a tree by Revan. Her dark hair fell in her eyes and her round lips were parted as she breathed. She was actually quite beautiful, but Carth wasn't interested. He had known her too long to be interested in her. The way she acted was enough to make him keep his distance. Canderous agreed. The two of them often laughed at how ironic it was – an attitude that could even spoil a woman's looks.

Then, out of the blue, Revan uttered the quietest, weakest moan.

Immediately all eyes snapped to her face. Her mouth was open and her brows were drawn together with the pain it took to breathe. Carth was on his feet and kneeling at her side, looking her over. "Revan? Are you awake?" he asked softly.

Revan moaned again, and her hand flittered limply over her stomach. "Oh…"

Mission hurried over, followed by Juhani. Juhani brushed Revan's sweat-soaked bangs from her eyes.

"Speak," the Cathar whispered, feeling Revan's breast for her heartbeat.

Revan shuddered, spitting up some blood and spit before she caught her breath. "Where are we?"

Carth lurched in her direction but calmed himself. Bastila had told him not to squash her. He kept his hands at his sides but stood nearby, looking her over as she coughed some more.

"We landed on a planet that hasn't been settled too well," Mission said. "We gotta get to the only settlement here or we'll die out here."

Revan only had the breath to smile and swear. This was her area of expertise. In the past she had been a scout, but now it was doubtful that she could stand. In fact, Bastila wouldn't allow it. Carth sighed.

"We can't stick around any longer," he said. "Who wants to stick around and guard the Ebon Hawk?"

Silence.

"Don't make me pick," Carth growled.

Canderous snarled. "Fine. I'll stay. Not like I can walk anyway." This was true. He was fixed on the ground, bound from waist to ankle with bandages. Jolee flashed him a cheeky grin. Canderous screwed up his face in reply and settled against the tree trunk.

"T3," Carth said, "you and HK-47 stick with Canderous, and you too, Juhani."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Juhani looked like she had been poisoned. Her face was scrunched up and her lips were puckered at the thought of being left with a Mandalorian and two dysfunctional droids. "Can you reconsider?" she asked desperately.

Carth's face twisted in a wry smile. "No. Canderous can't fight and one of the droids is out of commission. If something tries to invade our area who's going to fend it off?"

"Me," Juhani moaned unhappily.

"Yes."

Juhani flopped on the grass and curled up in a fetal position. Everyone left her alone.

"We'll leave in five," Carth said. "The sun is in the middle of the sky so we should have at least five hours before dark comes. Load up on medpacks and Durabars. We're getting out of here."

"We ain't go no medpacks," Mission grumbled, and jammed a fistful of Durabars in her pocket.

------

Five minutes later they had set out. Carth and Bastila were in the lead, followed by Zaalbar and Mission; Zaalbar carried Revan, despite her protests, and Mission clung to his arm. Jolee walked near Mission's heels, his eyes wandering freely over the trees and overhangings.

"I don't like this forest," Jolee said at last. "Too quiet. Nothing's moving."

"Maybe a storm's heading," Zaalbar said.

"I don't think so," Jolee murmured. "I can't feel it… And I know plenty about forests, believe me. Remember where I came from."

Zaalbar's nose flushed. "Do not speak so," he whined. "I came from there as well and it is flustering to be unfamiliar to a forest."

"You didn't live in the shadow lands," Jolee corrected him. "You had distanced yourself from the jungle slightly. I don't blame you for being unfamiliar with things of this matter."

"I blame myself."

"Oh, Zaalbar," Mission mumbled, burying her face in his fur.

Zaalbar sighed and fell silent.

They trudged on, tripping over roots and clumps of mud. Suddenly Zaalbar halted.

"What?" Revan asked, turning her milky blue eyes to his face.

"I hear something in the shadows," Zaalbar murmured. "Somebody take her. I am going to investigate."

"I'll come with you," Jolee offered as the Wookiee handed Revan off to Carth. The two ventured into the forest and disappeared.

A few minutes later there was an almighty roar. Jolee ran back to the others, his eyes wide. "We got something! Come on! Come on!" He turned and ran back, leaping over logs and ducking under hanging brush. They came to a clearing where Zaalbar was wrestling with something that resembled an oversized tuk'ata. They roared together, biting on the neck and face.

"BIG Z!" Mission shouted. "HEADS UP!" She drew a vibroblade and tossed it to him.

Zaalbar roared his thanks and impaled the creature in the gut. It let out a pathetic moan and lay there dying and twitching.

"What is it?" Mission asked, kneeling down to poke it. Its jaws snapped at her and she jumped back with a squeal.

"A demon," Zaalbar muttered, wiping blood from his face.

"Are you hurt, Zaalbar?" Jolee asked, reaching up to pat the Wookiee on the shoulder.

Zaalbar shrugged. "I am not sure," he said. "I do not feel hurt."

"Then we should get moving," Carth said. "If we wait much longer to get to the settlement, we'll run out of food."

"I get the feeling there are more of these things out there," Mission whispered.

"No point in sticking around wondering," Carth replied. "Come on." With a decisive jerk, he headed back down the path. The ground was bumpy, without incline, but blocked by trees and thick brush. By the end of the day, Carth doubted they had managed to go ten kilometers. He groaned, sitting on the ground and pressing his back against a tree as Zaalbar forcefully made a clearing. At this rate, they were never going to get to the settlement in time.

Carth watched silently as Bastila pressed her hands forward, easily bending a tree before it was uprooted and tossed into the distance. Revan smiled and cleared away some of the brush with a flick of her wrist. She had been left by Carth, and he was stuck babysitting while the rest built a place to camp.

"That's good," Carth said at last once they had gotten a fifty-yard ring. "Settle up, let's eat."

Zaalbar had stripped the monster he had fought earlier. Now they had its hide as cover and its meat to eat. Zaalbar wouldn't have any of it, stating that he would rather starve than taste the flesh of such a hideous, diseased creature.

"It's a savage demon," he reasoned, and wouldn't look twice at it.

Mission gave up on it for Zaalbar's sake and chewed on a root she had dug up. She spluttered once at its bitterness, but she quickly got used to it.

Bastila passed up, looking queasy. The rest of them, however, had no problem ripping it up and splitting it evenly. In fact, Revan tried to eat it so fast she began spluttering on the blood, and Carth had to whack her firmly on the back. Zaalbar bowed his head and said nothing.

"Mission, where'd you get those roots?" Bastila asked weakly. The Twi'lek lolled her head and shrugged.

The sky had turned black. Carth gathered Revan up in his arms and pressed against a tree, holding her close to his chest while Bastila curled up not far off.

Just as he was dozing off, Revan hissed in his ear. "Hey."

He groaned. "What?"

"Thank you."

He pulled away and studied her. He could hardly see her in the nighttime light. She shook her head. "Thank me for what?" he asked.

"For saving us," she whispered. "The others may not have said anything about it, but we all appreciate it so much. You were a real hero."

It wasn't like her to say this. Absently, he pressed a hand to her forehead. Fever. She wasn't thinking right. Of course. He decided to try and reason with her all the same. "But Jolee and Juhani and Bastila were the ones that fixed you up. You would have died."

Her breathing slowed. She was passing out. "But you saved them so that they could save me," she muttered.

He watched silently as she slumped over into the grass and lay still. "Whatever you say," he murmured, and the only reply he got was a faint gurgle as she snored.

------

**Author's Notes: **You thought I wasn't going to finish this, didn't you? I know this update stinks but… Eeet gets beeturr.

**SilverSentinal21 **- You pick. Post-Star Forge, I'd imagine. And who said the Jedi and the Mandalorian didn't feel it? They most certainly did. And about Canderous's leg... I didn't mean _crying_ crying. I meant like shouting... eh. I should clarify. I'll do it later... if I feel like it.

**Revan's Lost Soul **- I don't take your demands, sorry. I'll update on my own time.

**Vila Sky - **Statement: It has been done. Please remove your blaster.

**L0ngshotOR **- Yep. Here you are, darlin'. c'',)


	3. You Jedi Harlot

**Backwater Planet**

_Juhani's farings aren't all cheese and crackers, I'm afraid._

**Rated PG13**

**Disclaimer:**Something or other that has to do with not owning this stuff…

**Backwater Planet**

Juhani's ears flicked with agitation. She narrowed her piercing yellow eyes, scanning the landscape, ignoring the insect that perched on her nose. Be it poisonous or otherwise, being dead would be a world better than putting up with the Mandalorian.

Juhani honestly couldn't understand how Revan put up with him. He was rude and obnoxious and loud. He was pushy, too, demanding her attention every few minutes. T3-M4 halfheartedly made repairs on the Ebon Hawk, but couldn't get close enough to do any real repairs, since the ship itself was half-submerged in a lake.

"Hey, pet," Canderous growled, but Juhani tuned him out, focusing on the distant scratches of wildlife. She closed her eyes, serene and silent, pressing through the dense forest with the Force.

"Pet!"

Her mouth twitched involuntarily into a snarl. She mastered her emotions and took a soothing breath, allowing the wind to pass over her face and tease her hair, and feeling the ground firm and solid beneath her feet. The world throbbed with its own Force, and she absorbed it, for the comfort, for the peace.

"What the hell, you Jedi harlot!"

Her concentration snapped. A growl rose in the back of her throat and she forced herself to face him. The mere sight of him made the fur on her neck stand, and she could easily picture his heart, warm and throbbing, between her powerful hands.

"What do you want, Mandalorian?" she spat back, loosening her shoulders.

"You can't starve your prisoners," he shot back. "We haven't eaten since midday yesterday."

Her voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Revan took the supplies with them should they need them," she told him. "And it is more that I am your prisoner, rather than you being mine."

He laughed. "What, are you going to hunt for us?" he asked, cracking his neck. "Or is that too lowly for a Jedi like you?"

"I will hunt when I feel prepared!" she hissed. "I am not used to this landscape!"

"Well, hurry up and get used to it because I –"

There was a guttural roar to the right. Juhani ducked and drew her lightsaber in one fluid motion, digging her heels into the ground and pivoting to face the attack. An arrow soared over her head, where her nose had previously been, and pierced the tree Canderous sat at. Canderous glanced up thoughtfully, studying the arrow.

"Who is there?" Juhani shouted into the endless jungle.

Nothing moved.

She pushed out with the Force, and sensed multiple somethings sitting in wait.

"I know you are there! Come forth!"

All at once, several men stepped out of the bush, weapons raised. Those with bows and arrows hopped to the side and the three with blades stepped forth. They spoke in a strange language Juhani did not understand, but their meaning was clear.

She was an invader.

Canderous watched with amusement as they attacked, thrusting themselves bodily at her. She smoothly avoided them all, managing to keep them alive as she knocked away their attempts with her fists and feet. She moved like liquid, sliding between two men as if they were not solid, before she flipped forward and drove her feet into their knees, sending them sprawling. Canderous had to admit he was impressed – she was definitely skilled and wise.

Juhani rotated on her foot, letting out a strained battle cry, and her heel connected with the last man's temple. There was an almighty crack and the man went flying, twirling through the air to land with a deadened thump against a tree trunk. Gasping for breath, the Cathar sank to her knees and clasped her hands in silent meditation.

"What were those things?" Canderous asked at a moment's length. T3-M4 whooped with interest.

Juhani said nothing. Her ears flattened against her skull and she ignored him, meditating, composing herself.

Silence stretched out forever. Only the occasionally unconscious grunt from the men on the ground made any noise, and the bushes rustled with the native animals. A bird cried in the distance, but there was nothing more.

Finally, Juhani spoke, her voice deep after her effective meditation. "There is another wave coming, and another after that," she murmured. "We must get to our defenses." She glanced at him. "Though you cannot walk, you can still operate a repeater, yes?"

Canderous grinned. "Just tell me what to do."

------

Revan couldn't walk. Her stomach was still too weak. The last time she had tried she had doubled over, moaning in pain, and Jolee had had to catch her before she rolled down a hill into thick brambles. Zaalbar picked her up and Carth led, beating away brush and branches.

The jungle was humid and still eerily quiet. Carth wondered aloud how much longer it would take to reach the settlement.

"We don't even know where the settlement is," Bastila reasoned. "It could take months."

Hours wore upon hours. Days turned into weeks. And, as promised, weeks turned into months. Long… wearing months. Occasionally they spoke to Juhani about their progress, and her replies were weary when she told them that she hunted every other day, and that the natives attacked once every four nights while they regained forces. She left all of them alive, though her inner instincts told her to slay them all with brutal hostility. Canderous supported her instincts, and his leg was fully healed, but she would not allow him to have his repeater back. He had to use his fists, and she wouldn't allow him to break any bones.

Zaalbar came across several more large, hairy beings, which he called 'demons.' The Demons (thusly named), were brainless as Bantha and just as strong. It took all of their combined strength to keep these monsters at bay.

Cortessa was now well enough to walk, and often led their group, but her hips no longer swayed teasingly, and she walked with an awkward limp. The forest seemed to stretch on forever, and Carth wondered if they would suddenly come 'round, back to the Ebon Hawk, where Juhani would stare at them with shocked eyes.

Slowly, arousing itself from the thrum of wildlife, came a dull, monotonous roar, growing louder with each mile they walked. It was a steady, comforting sound, and it kept them going. The ground seemed to be growing softer beneath their feet, and the trees were slightly thinner.

The settlement was coming. Carth knew it. It had to be the settlement. What else could it be?

Suddenly, the forest vanished around them and Cortessa stumbled forward, pitching over a small cliff. Mission screamed and Bastila couldn't stop in time before she slid down after her companion. Carth ran over and peered over the edge, and Zaalbar joined him. The Wookiee's weight made the fragile ground beneath them give way, and they plummeted downward towards the flat beach below. Jolee, in his haphazard way, threw himself after them.

The ground rushed up to meet them, and as Carth slammed against the sand, with no air, and little reasoning, he gazed out to sea, and watched the waves crash against the shore.

Zaalbar hit the ground with an almighty _whump_, and the wind from him was enough to knock Carth from his consciousness.

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**Author's Notes: **Short chapter, I know, I know. I couldn't think of what to add. Just you wait, though. Things will get better. And I promise I'll stop saying that by the next two chapters. I PROMISE.


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